J's Final Apprenticeship Interview

[pearl]

Friday 13th at 1:45 pm, & I have Monarch butterflies doing somersaults in my tummy.

 

J seems absolutely fine

 

He's as well prepared as he can be & the guy in charge of sorting the interview has been very positive. Dave, Jack's ESW sent me a Prospects leaflet which I passed on to him & he welcomed it.

 

Dave is going along as his supporter.

 

You've all been so supportive over the last few weeks, pleeease keep it up a bit longer & send positive vibes his way tomorrow. I'll let you know the result as soon as we do.

 

[mossgrove]

 

 

Simon

[pearl]

fankoo Simon <'>

[Bagpuss]

Pearl, wishing J the very best of luck <'>

[Guest flutter]

thinking of u

good vibes coming tomoz

x

[oxgirl]

Very, very best of luck for tomorrow.

 

~ Mel ~

[Clare63]

Sending you and J bucket loads of positive vibes and good luck

Clare x

[pearl]

Thanks all - I'm off to bed now to lie awake

lordy I'd rather be interviewed myself.

[bluejean-genie]

hi pearl,

wishing you and J the best of luck

[David Matthew Baker]

Hope it goes well tomorrow for you both. Good luck. Thinking of you.

[smiley]

Everything... everything crossed

[ellisisamazing]

Lots of Luck to J!!!!

 

I am rooting for him!! <'>

 

And THANK YOU for the Birthday thread on BBGF!

[pearl]

Mornin all

Just off to Tesco to keep busy. I'm sending J out for a bike ride to get rid of some tension.

See you later xx

[bid]

Everything crossed here!

 

Bid

[marshmallow]

Fingers crossed, hope it goes well!

[pearl]

OK, we just got back, & it went very well

 

The practical test he found easy, plugging bits into a computer, a bit of word & excel.

 

Then they worked in teams of 4 building towers out of playing cards. J's team got the biggest tower & the guy in charge said it was the best he'd seen.

 

Then the interview, he answered all the questions well if a bit fast. His big advantage is that he did his work experience at this uni, he made sure he told them about that & told them it was the best time of his life & he'd love to come back.

 

Dave thought it went well. Again he felt he was surplus to requirements, which is good as they'd notice that. He noticed one outstanding lad he was sure would get one of the apprenticeships, however there are 3 going so J is still in with a chance.

 

However we dont find out till Monday

 

I'll let y'all know the moment we hear something.

Thanks again for all the good wishes, it means a lot to us

[oxgirl]

Wow, pearl, it sounds really promising!! Very, very best of luck and hope you manage to enjoy your weekend. <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[Clare63]

Sounds very promising, awww but a long wait for you guys until Monday. Looks like J did fantatsically you must be so proud. Try and chill this weekend and perhpas do something nice.

Lots of love

Clare x

[pearl]

Thanks all. Isnt it funny, I'm completely chilled now as theres nothing more J & I can do at the mo. He on the other hand is far more stressed now the interview is over & he is waiting for the results!

 

As I type he is o/d'ing on wildlife programmes which always calms him. Just seen one on giant anacondas & now he's watching one he taped on tigers.

 

We're having a full day out tomorrow as the forecast is so good, looooong walk away from crowds & a nice picnic.

 

Enjoy your weekend everyone xx

[Bagpuss]

So chuffed to hear it went well Pearl Roll on Monday.....and have a lovely picnic <'>

[David Matthew Baker]

Hope you get some good news on Monday. Tell him he has good taste. I also like the Wildlife programs. Particularly the Attenborough ones. Just need to get a few more of the series on DVD. Then it will be a case of watching them all and making notes on what would be useful for teaching purposes. I know there should be a fair amount of stuff. Also have a few other BBC made documentaries to watch including 'Earth Story' that should yield some useful resources. Trying to find as varied a set of things as possible for when I start my teacher training. After all variety is what can help keep kids interested. So need a lot of practical stuff, a few good videos (or DVDs) and I guess a bit of the boring theory.

[pearl]

Lordy lordy, what a day its been. J had a major meltdown on our walk today, said he was depressed, had nothing to look forward to, had murderous thoughts, didnt want to live, oh yes & we are rubbish parents too. He hit his dad.

 

I reacted with my usual calmness & tact, told him he was a selfish ungrateful little @&%* & stormed off sobbing loudly, well it gave the ramblers something to train their binoculars on. Mr pearl, who has charge of the family brain cell for the weekend, stayed with him & talked him down over the next couple of miles. I discovered how very very fast I can walk when upset.

 

Really, really bad timing this, after all these weeks of strain we were so looking forward to a simple day out. He was devastated he had ruined it when he calmed down, & was in tears himself when he saw the state he'd reduced me to. I even got a hug tho with J its like being hugged by an ironing board.

 

He says its not the apprenticeship thing, he worries way ahead of that, basically the entire rest of his life. He has learned at counselling that its bad to bottle things up, but doesnt quite know how to let it all out without causing this kind of collateral damage, well theyll have their work cut out this week at his appointment.

 

Mr pearl is v good at talking to him, being a bit spectrumy himself he remembers some of the anxiety, plus he was a boy once himself. But he needs other people than his parents to talk to & I do worry about what will happen after college, theyve been fantastic there, he has time management, anger management, counselling, you name it. All that stops in July.

 

Anyway lets hope its good news on Monday. He has another test lined up for a business admin apprenticeship with our city council, so theres more than one iron in the fire, but it would be so nice just to ring them up & say, no thanks he's sorted!

[Clare63]

Oh Pearl <'> <'> <'> <'> <'>

Sorry to hear you had a bad day today lets hope tomorrow is better.....then it's Monday !!!!!!

Thinking of you and wishing I had something constructive to say

Clare x x x

[David Matthew Baker]

Sorry to hear you had a bad day. Is there anyway you could get him interested in a forum like this. Would he feel comfortable talking through problems with people online. He does sound like he manages well when it comes to using and maintaining computers. If you think it would help you can have my details. Not sure if I could be much help or not but am always willing to listen if people need someone to talk to. Can't always offer solutions but will do my best.

[Bard]

Really, really bad timing this, after all these weeks of strain we were so looking forward to a simple day out.

 

 

And there you have it.

You have all worked incredibly hard, practically and emotionally, right up until the interview.

J must have been focusing so hard on remembering all the right things. You and your butterflies, Mr P being the calm possessor of the brain cell at the moment.

Cut yourselves some slack!

I would have been amazed if, after such sustained effort, there hadn't been a meltdown.

You come across as a loving and caring family who are well-suited to each other.

There must be support services out there for people after college, and I bet that some of the amazingly well-informed members of this forum could advise you.

I really hope that Monday brings good news, because you all deserve it.

[pearl]

Thanks all. Feeling better after a good nights sleep.

 

Bard you are absolutely right, I spose something had to give. You cant always see it when you're right in the middle of it.

 

And David, a special <'> for you. Thankyou for your offer which I will certainly think about & talk to J about.

Its funny cos tho IT is his talent & what he is studying, he shows v little curiosity about using it for leisure purposes, apart from a few games on the net he has found. I've told him about forums, online support groups etc but he doesnt quite "get" it at the mo. Perhaps he's not mature enough yet.

 

It was exactly the same with tae kwon do, I was encouraging him for years to try it, no interest until he heard some lads at school talking. Now he's halfway to a black belt.

 

So yes I'll keep plugging away telling him what online support is available, he may be glad of it when he's left college.

 

Thanks again.

[pearl]

Quick update, J had a great day today, the calm after the storm, happy & laughing & never shut up all day! I sometimes wonder if he's a bit bipolar, or is it just the AS?

[David Matthew Baker]

Glad to hear you've had a better day. I think everyone has good days and bad. I know whenever I lose it I go in style. Will then normally be rather quiet and sulky for the rest of the day. Men in general seem to forget about such things fairly quickly. Luckily I have a long fuse and don't normally lose it. I've been told when I do lose it, it is almost as if I am possessed. Normally have only lost it at home luckily. That said there are a few notible occasions where it has happened elsewhere. Still remember calling over a teacher before slapping the student next to me. Another time I went at someone with a plastic bowling pin. Both people had been bullying me for a long time before hand. Family is the only lot I can't be as patient with. Can be annoying at times.

[pearl]

Glad to hear you've had a better day. I think everyone has good days and bad. I know whenever I lose it I go in style. Will then normally be rather quiet and sulky for the rest of the day. Men in general seem to forget about such things fairly quickly. Luckily I have a long fuse and don't normally lose it. I've been told when I do lose it, it is almost as if I am possessed. Normally have only lost it at home luckily. That said there are a few notible occasions where it has happened elsewhere. Still remember calling over a teacher before slapping the student next to me. Another time I went at someone with a plastic bowling pin. Both people had been bullying me for a long time before hand. Family is the only lot I can't be as patient with. Can be annoying at times.

*note to self: NEVER annoy David*

[Kathryn]

Hi Pearl,

 

I've missed the updates on your situation as I've been away. Glad to hear the interview went OK.

 

I can identify with the extremes you describe: my daughter L has up and down phases too and I've sometimes wondered (as has she ) about the bipolar thing - she seems to have two different personalities at times.

 

I hope there are many more good days than bad and fingers crossed that tomorrow brings good news for you.

 

K x

[Bard]

Well, my boy isn't bipolar, he just lives in his own personal present.

So he blows up like Krakatoa, but with less warning, possible a rumble or twitch, then 5 minutes later, he's moved on and forgotten.

The rest of the immediate population is still undercover, and traumatised, and he is then puzzled when people are still angry or frightened in his presence.

It's better that than beloved daughter who can brood for Europe, let alone England.

And yes, if you're out there Rhys, she still blames the fact that she can't ride a bike on the fact that you pushed her off her tricycle at nursery.

I'd rather have a volcano than a potential member of the mafia, waiting to be revenged.

It's one of those AS things I really appreciate.

 

Good luck for Monday...for both of us. I'm sure B's tutor is hitting the scotch pretty heavily to brace himself for the beginning of another exciting term!